Minnesota to host outdoor puck game vs. Ohio State

MINNEAPOLIS - The State of Hockey has waited long enough to host a game outdoors.

Minnesota announced on Tuesday that it will play Ohio State in a game at the football team's TCF Bank Stadium on Jan. 17 in the Hockey City Classic. The Golden Gophers appeared in the annual outdoor game last year at Soldier Field in Chicago against Wisconsin.

But the Gophers are eager to give their fans a chance to pack the 50,000-seat football stadium on campus.

The two-time defending national champion Gophers women's team will play earlier in the day against Minnesota State, Mankato.

Gophers men's coach Don Lucia says being a part of the first outdoor game in Minnesota "is something we'll remember for the rest of our lives."